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It’s an idea for a New Adult novel, I have had to edit some of the content of this to make it more PG friendly! I don’t want to be banned from #BlogBattle but I reckon the final version (if I get round to it!) could be a bit more steamy – any thoughts?

Time’s A Slippery Devil

Time.

Such a slippery and transient devil, one minute it’s on your side the next it’s beyond you slipping past your reach, laughing at your precociousness. Ryder had been Time’s master, but no more. Now he was alone, with no one to control. No scratch that. He had a girl, a willing conquest, one solitary soul was his. An easy task lay before him, and what better place to hide than the leafy parkland of the University of Falmer in Brighton? Here he could be a shadow without a name, a person without a recognisable face. No one would remember him unless he wanted them to, he could be as fluid as the breeze in the trees. A nowhere man.

His only current regret was his choice of course, he had fancied himself a philosopher but he saw no benefit in discussing the merits of a grain of sand. The only worthy purpose of a grain of sand was its place within a timepiece, capturing a precious minute so perfectly turning life’s longings upside down. Perhaps studying a touch of poetry and prose would suit him better? He needed to find some new playmates, his current flatmates were a bore. His midnight wanderings had been purposely noisy but had fallen on deaf ears, his distinctive footsteps had cast him as an outsider in his own flat.

His eyes could read the sky, tell the time of day. He smiled, only minutes remained before he had agreed to meet Bethany. He had enjoyed their last encounter. The reminiscence of the feel of her silky skin against his body caused him to smile. She had smelled so meadow fresh, untouched by someone like him. He remembered the moment when she had surrendered, the bitter-sweet light in her eyes drifting to an inky murky black. It had been a fleeting second, one the ordinary eye would have missed but Ryder had flourished in that moment. Thereafter her eyes had lightened turning just a slightly harder, darker shade than they had been before, with a hint of a tiny crystal caught in them for all eternity. The tiny crystal light within his own eyes smarted at the thought. He had upset its crystal sensibilities, as he often did. He cast aside that thought, willing the crystal to be within the palm of his hand, a powerful force to command rather than a controlling force imprisoned within his sight. The crystal reverberated, a sharp dagger of pain pierced his eyes and tiny crystal tears shed a pathway down his sculpted cheekbones.

Blinking back strange tears he walked to the campus shop, his long limbs carrying him there within minutes. The crystal tears abated coming to a jagged halt. Bethany was already waiting. In amongst the throng of students, she seemed overlooked but Ryder found her more striking than she had been before. Her eyes gleamed at him like a cats, she dressed to entice, her short skirt making his eyes linger on the shapeliness of her legs. She carried herself with a new-found confidence and freedom. A dare suggested itself in the curve of her lips, a flicker of danger fluttered in her curved eye lashes, and a gleam of naughtiness escaped from her eyes. A buzz of energy circulated throughout Ryder’s body, making his heart pound with unleashed excitement. He longed to entice her into the privacy of his room, but now was not the time. He sighed. He had more pressing matters to attend to. He would introduce this former bookworm to the delights of his room before long that he was sure of.

The canteen was buzzing with students, lunchtime beckoned and everyone seemed to be eating, chatting and drinking. He gestured towards a table in amongst the throng, it didn’t matter where they sat his privacy would always be assured. He didn’t bother to say hello and neither did she, instead he reached out. This reflexive reaction betrayed his desperate need to touch her. He grasped her hand in his, and turned it over as if he was reading her palm. He planted sweet kisses on it, her eyes flickered and she gasped.

“I see you enjoy my kisses, now that we are more acquainted,” he said breaking the silence.

“I do, it’s almost as if my hand can taste the honey-dew of your lips,” she replied. Ryder saw confusion resting in her eyes, her words had betrayed the veiled privacy of her emotions.

“I couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s an ability you will develop but it takes time.”

“Really? You tease me with such wicked promises.”

‘If it’s a tease then it’s a secret one. I’m afraid I can’t reveal my secrets but you will learn your own in your own sweet time.”

“What a delicious thought, I can’t wait.”

“Be patient Bethany, now’s not the time, you must let your power grow slowly, or else ……. in the meantime, I’d like you to make more friends,” Ryder’s eyes darkened, “We need more friends.”

Bethany shivered, “You make it sound so creepy, what do you mean?”

“There are only two of us, see how nobody notices us? Unless we draw attention to ourselves they overlook us, but if we become many, then imagine what we could do.”

A glint of darkness flickered across Bethany’s face, forming a temporary shadow. She shivered again.

Seeing her shivering Ryder pulled her towards him, lifting her off her seat, until she was sitting on his lap.

She smiled, a purring sound escaped from the back of her throat. He stroked her long brown hair.

“It’s fresher’s week, sweet kitten,” he said.

“No it’s not, we’ve already had fresher’s week,” she replied.

“I wasn’t in the mood for it then, but I am now.” His eyes darkened, “So now it’s time for fresher’s week.”

25 thoughts on “#BlogBattle : Week 22: Time”

This was fun to read! And looks like a fun challenge. I was intrigued by where the story could go, and caught up in the great new way of hinting at the sexual experience between them and what will continue between them. I look forward to reading more! Will there be more?

Thanks so much for your comment, it’s great to get feedback. Yes I do hope to write more of this story for #BlogBattle if I can incorporate the themes successfully into the storyline and keep it within the PG guideline! It’s great to know that hinting at the steamy parts worked! Maybe this will add to the mysterious nature of the story which I hope to portray. Thanks again. 🙂

I don’t know why, but I thought “vampires” while reading this. What’s he come to this small university place to hide from? Why do they need ‘friends?’ I loved the description of her eyes changing. beatonm5’s last comment made me laugh. “. . . the imagination of a runaway freight train.” If only that’s how all readers were! 🙂

Mysterious, and you’ve certainly got people’s imaginations going with this Marje. I have an idea as well, but I don’t want to say what it is as I think you need to keep it a secret. It’s every writer’s right to do that until they want to reveal the twist or turn in a story.

Great writing. Very dark and steamy, and to think it’s set in Brighton as well 🙂

Thanks Hugh, glad you found it mysterious, that’s my intention, and kind of you to help me keep the nature of the main protagonist a secret. Yes it has always been my intention to set this one in Brighton. I hope to visit Brighton, and get some ideas, and also talk to my daughter as she is at University there. 🙂

Hi Hugh, yes of course. Will be in touch not sure at the moment when my visit to Brighton will be …. Taking my daughter back in September but I think that’s just going to be a fleeting visit. Possibly later on in the year. Will let you know, it would be nice to see you 🙂

I like the descriptions of their eyes. What are they? In the comments you said they aren’t vampires so I’m really curious what they are. I know it’s your secret, until the book is published, but thought I’d ask anyway. 😉

I’m keeping this a secret for now as these are excerpts/ideas from the second book in a series. So I’ve got to be careful not to spoil book 1. I hope to publish Book 1 some time this year …. Hopefully ….

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M J Mallon Author

Hi.
Welcome to my blog: M J Mallon - Kyrosmagica Publishing. A blog about magic, books, writing, laughter, and much more! I'm a debut writer, my first YA fantasy novel The Curse of Time - Book 1 - Bloodstone is set in Cambridge. I write book reviews on my blog and on Goodreads. I have a penchant for travel and have relatives in far flung places, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore, (my birthplace.) I grew up in in Bonnie Scotland, in Edinburgh, and now live in Cambridge. I love sunny, hot places, particularly Rome, Venice, Portugal, Barcelona, and I forgot to mention the sun drenched beaches of the Caribbean, how could I? I am lucky to have been blessed with two lovely daughters and a husband who I fondly refer to in this blog as my black sheep. Family joke! With my passion for travel, culture, beautiful beaches, good food, books, theatre, writing, and humour, I hope to keep you entertained. I'm loving every minute of this creative journey, please join me.

Hi, I'm Gina! I'm a bilingual teacher, and have decided that this summer I wanted to get back into the world of reading. I needed an outlet to share some of the books I have been reading that have been by far amazing reads. I hope I can help spread the interest of good books with others like myself. So please enjoy.

Hi, I'm Gina! I'm a bilingual teacher, and have decided that this summer I wanted to get back into the world of reading. I needed an outlet to share some of the books I have been reading that have been by far amazing reads. I hope I can help spread the interest of good books with others like myself. So please enjoy.